Nicholls' big break is due

By Marcus Armytage

12:01AM GMT 31 Dec 2003

Lord Noelie, who has been dropped 7lb by the Handicapper since his last run, attempts to give Bridget Nicholls her first winner as a trainer in her own right when he lines up for today's Tote Bookmakers Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.

His cause should be helped by the booking of the champion jockey A P McCoy although I feel he may struggle to give 20lb to the progressive Cresswell Quay, from the in-form Peter Bowen yard.

Sightings of Lord Noelie at Christmas are rare, mainly because of his aversion to soft ground. However, unseasonally fast ground means the 2000 Royal & Sun Alliance Chase winner can return to the scene of his greatest triumph.

The 10-year-old gelding, formerly trained by Henrietta Knight, has had just two runs for Nicholls and seems to be showing signs of a return to form. A reasonable fifth to Shardam at Cheltenham was followed by another good run at the track, when he was beaten 23 lengths into fourth place behind Gold Cup second-favourite Kingscliff.

Nicholls, 33, left Henrietta Knight, where she had been assisting for three years, and sent out her first runner from Somerton, where fellow trainer Ron Hodges is her landlord, in October. Her 16 runners so far have yet to break the new trainer's duck, but it should only be a matter of time. And luck. "Marcus Foley said Unmistakably would nearly have won at Taunton on Monday but he ploughed through the last ditch," she says, "though I realise luck is all part of it, a lot of the others have been knocking on the door."

Related Articles

Having been a member of the team that won two Cheltenham Gold Cups and one King George in her time at West Lockinge, Nicholls, whose parents run the New Inn at Moreleigh near Totnes, decided to take the plunge to go it alone in the summer. She now has 16 horses in. "I really enjoyed working for Hen and Terry," she says, "but either I stayed doing that forever or bit the bullet. I like being back in the west country and it's easier with Megan, my daughter, because we're a bit closer to Paul [her ex-husband trainer]. He's been a great help."

Nicholls' other runner today, Murt's Man, who runs in the Tote Trifecta Southern National at Fontwell Park, was sent to her on the advice of Paul, because he thought the horse needed a change of scenery. "If he wanted to go close he could but it's totally up to Murt's Man, it depends on his mood."

Lord Noelie is only now being forgiven by the Handicapper for his success at Cheltenham and a Hennessy fourth carrying a big weight two seasons ago. "He's terribly well at home," says Nicholls who is praying it does not rain heavily overnight. "He has to go left-handed. AP has never ridden him before but that's not a problem."

The Jockey Club confirmed yesterday that they have sent a letter to Miles Rodgers, a former director of a racing club, asking him to appear in front of the disciplinary committee for possible breaches of the new Rule 247, which states that owners, trainers and stable staff are banned from laying their own horses to lose on betting exchanges.

A year ago yesterday, Platinum Racing came to the attention of the authorities when two of their horses, Royal Insult and Legal Set, both ran the same day at Lingfield. Royal Insult, who drifted from 9-2 to 49-1 on Betfair, the betting exchange, broke down in the race and later had to be destroyed. Legal Set drifted from 9-4 to 4-1 and then finished a close third. Both cases raised public concerns. However, the authorities found there was insufficient evidence to warrant an inquiry.

Since then, the Jockey Club have brought in a memorandum of understanding with the exchanges and introduced Rule 247. The current investigation surrounds Uhoomagoo at Redcar on Oct 28 and Million Percent at Wolverhampton on Nov 14. But John Maxse of the Jockey Club thinks things could be tightened further. "The memorandum of understanding gives us access to accounts but we're fully aware that the account holder may not be the person behind the placing of the bets," he said. "It is maybe something the Gambling Commission need to look at somewhere down the line."